2020 World Marathon Challenge

After completing the 2019 World Marathon Challenge (WMC), my husband, Eric, asked if I would ever do the race again. My answer… YES, PLEASE! However, the race entrance fee is expensive and I would need to find a sponsor if I was going to be serious about running this race again. 

Six months before the start of the 2019 WMC, I had upgraded my insulin pump to the MiniMed 670G pump with the Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM).  This pump worked like magic, for me, during the 2019 race so I reached out to Medtronic about the potential to sponsor me during the 2020 WMC. I wanted others living with diabetes to see that they too, can do extraordinary things even with T1D! After talking with Medtronic it seemed like a perfect fit to sponsor me on this race because my story and life aligned so nicely with their motto; Life More, Worry less.

I started training to run the race again. I used the same training plan I did for the 2019 WMC and put a “training marathon” or two on my calendar. In December, Medtronic asked that I attend their employee holiday program in Minnesota to share my story. At this event every year, the employees of Medtronic have the opportunity to listen to 5 people who have been impacted by Medtronic products! I was so honored to tell these employees how the insulin pump has changed my life! I hope they realize what an impact their work has had on me and other T1Ds.  

In the new year and only  a few weeks away from the start of the 2020 WMC, it was finally time for me to get ready.  

Packing my Bags:

There are a lot of considerations when packing for this trip, especially while living with diabetes. Here were a few things I needed to consider:

1. Small carry-on bag for the flights to carry things like magazines, power cords, wallet, sweets, iPad, book, insulin supplies, pen, gum, mask to avoid the flu, compression socks and passport.
2. A large carry-on backpack to prepare for my race in Antarctica. I wore my shoes for Antarctica but packed wool socks, compression socks for the legs only, cramp on’s, long underwear (shirt and pants), thick wool leggings, wind pants, a sweat wicking shirt, another half zip shirt, wind/rain jacket with pit zips, buff, neck gator, balaclava, Medtronic wool beanie style hat, glacier goggles, glove liners, and mittens. I also included clothes for my next race in Cape Town which included  socks, underwear, running shirt, sports bra, tank top, and a baseball hat. I also carry my passport, money, credit cards, flip belt, radio/iPod, cords, candies and my three powders and bottles for them, mac & cheese, my bib numbers, my GPS watch, the band to wear for my bib numbers, my insulin bag, medicine bag, shower bag, cryoball (ice), elevated legs, the squeezer leg massager, brush and a book to take notes.
3. A checked bag for my elevated legs, my leg massager, all my clothes after Antarctica and Cape Town, gels, gum, candies and powders for after Cape Town, more mac & cheese, and my ice ball (cryoball).

Getting to Cape Town and preparing for the first marathon:

The day of my flight, I got up early to run my final “training” run of 3 miles on the treadmill. I then attended a Medtronic WebEx call to tell my story to 100+ healthcare providers. After the call, Eric and I left to attend the TypeOneNation summit in Raleigh where I spoke to attendees. 

After all of that, I boarded my flight  to London.  I don’t sleep well on planes and was only able to get about an hour of sleep. I arrived safely in London and had about a 12-hour layover before I boarded my 11-hour flight to Cape Town, South Africa.

I arrived in Cape Town, South Africa on February 3, 2020 and met up with some of the other runners to tour the city. We had approximately half a day on the 3^rd and until 8p.m. on the 4^th to do tourist activities before heading to our first marathon in Antarctica. I also found out that unfortunately, 6 runners from China had to drop out of the race due to the Coronavirus.    

Weather issues:

The plan was to head to Antarctica at 6p.m. on February 4^th run the first marathon and then head back to Cape Town and run the second marathon at 4:30a.m. on the 5th. However, the weather was predicted to be poor and we were told we may have to change from flying a Boeing 757 to a Russian Ilyushin (IL-76) cargo plane. With how windy it was supposed to be, we were told we needed to bring our buffs. After waiting at the airport  until about 11p.m., we were told the pilot said it was too dangerous. We got on busses back to the hotel and went to bed about 1a.m., with a wake-up call at 6a.m. to see if we’d be heading to Antarctica. When we woke up, we were told that we wouldn’t be flying to Antarctica,  but would run the Cape Town marathon that night at 7p.m. and would leave for Antarctica the next morning. I changed into my Cape Town clothes, grabbed water and  I also needed to change my sensor before the first marathon started.

February 6, 2020 – Cape Town – Marathon 1

The race started at 7:12p.m. local time and I felt good. The wind was tough at about 28 mph with gusts about 35-40 mph, but we set up the bags we brought for each race, with the things we need during and after the race, down in a secured area and lined up for the start of the race. As the windy marathon progressed, another runner, Beck and I slowed down. I had belly issues after a short drop in my blood glucose levels. My blood glucose (BG) at the beginning of the race was approximately 130 mg/dL and I ended the race at approximately 120 mg/dL. I believe the drop in my blood glucose was due to the high fat from a sandwich I had eaten earlier. I was able to correct it easily and made a mental note to be more careful. I finished the race in 4:53:57. After the race, I took pictures and headed to the hotel. Drank my recovery drink and took a shower since we had mud and sand everywhere! I wasn’t feeling bad but my belly still wasn’t good. Went to bed and about an hour later, I jumped out of bed, ran to the bathroom and was able to reach the toilet before throwing up. Note to self: do not eat melted mozzarella cheese before a marathon, ever! 

Short Video:

February 7, 2020 – Antarctica – Marathon #2

I had breakfast at the hotel and headed to the Winchester Hotel to board the bus to the airport for the flight to Novolazarevskaya Station (Novo), Antarctica.  Novo is an actual Russian weather station. 

We knew we were taking a Russian Cargo plane but it’s an actual commercial cargo plane also used for the military.    We are ready to take off.  People are sleeping on the cargo plane floor, restrooms are nice porta potties, food on the flight over was cold pasta, roll, some sort of veggies and a pound cake. 

Although we landed around 6:30 p.m. due to the severe weather conditions, they wanted to adjust the course.  So, for three hours, we waited and when it was finally ready, they told us they changed the course from 6 loops to 14 loops.  The organizers and the Russian staff felt that it was safer for all of us to be in the headwind for a shorter period of time.    The race started at 9:45 p.m. and I was wearing about 4 layers, 2 pairs of socks, balaclava, hand and feet warmers, a buff, a hat, 3 pairs of gloves (including a pair of latex gloves that the Doctor handed out to help prevent frost bite), my waterproof shoes, my pump, my iPod and watch.  It was so cold and windy.  I tried to drink from my water bottle during the race, but it was frozen When we finished, there was no tape to run through and the wind continued to blow harder.  The organizers said they couldn’t hold the tape for us to run through!! 

I finished the race in 7:06:41 but after the race, I realized my buff was frozen, I had to literally pull it apart and ice fell from it.  My shoelaces were frozen, ice was all over my socks and into my shoes, hence the reason I couldn’t feel my feet or hands by the end. 

I was able, however, to keep my pump warm and working during the race by using a tool called the Flip belt and placing my pump against my skin under my long underwear.  Just in case I was unsuccessful in keeping my pump safe and warm, I was able to procure a “loaner” pump from Medtronic I had written down all of my settings, just in case.  Good thing was, I never had to use it!! 

My BG at the beginning of the race was around 80 so I ate a few candies I had, ensuring that my sugars wouldn’t drop too low during the race.  I didn’t want to risk having to bring my pump out into the open weather to turn off the alarms and potentially have it freeze.  I finished the race with my BG around 150. 

February 9, 2020 – Perth – Marathon #3

This is a long flight from South Africa to Perth.  Time for some recovery sleep and rest! 

Meals were basically the same on both legs of this flight ; pasta, salad and desert.

We landed and there were several people who greeted us with signs as we had three Aussie runners. 

We started the race at 11:30 p.m. as we were told that it was windy.  It was a good quiet run.  The wind cooled us as we ran.  My last two laps were strong and I finished in 4:59:46. 

We finished to the volunteers cooking sausages, eggs, bacon, toast, fruit, fruit juices, milk, yogurt, water, muffins, etc.  Amazing!!  But before I could eat, I wanted to take a quick shower as we don’t have many opportunities to do this. 

Before we boarded the plane, we grabbed some French fries, from the airport.  I think we all needed the extra salt in our diet! 

It was warmer here and I tend to make sure I keep my pump AWAY from my skin.  As I mentioned earlier, I use the Flip Belt and most times, I wear it on the outside of my clothes and it sits around the top of my hips.  My BG at the start of the race was around 120 and I finished the race with my BG around 85.  While I usually like to have my blood sugars a little higher before a marathon race, the way these marathons are organized allows me to have my water bottle, filled with the Infinit mix, close by.  In this race, I was able to drink sips pretty frequently during the race.  This allowed me to keep my blood sugars pretty level.

Short video:

February 10, 2020 – Dubai – Marathon #4

Approximately 30 minutes after takeoff they fed us.  I chose the chicken parmesan.  It had one carrot, 2 thin pieces of asparagus, 2 huge slabs of breaded chicken on top of thick noodles.  It was cold but I ate a portion of the chicken and some noodles and the asparagus.  My sugars dropped again probably because I took too much insulin thinking I’d like and eat the noodles but they were cold.  I ate some shortbread cookies to bring it back up. 

I’m already dressed for Dubai since I put these clothes on after the shower in Perth.  I’m wearing the Medtronic jacket and jogging pants over my running clothes.  Mark Conlin, the photographer who is from Galway Ireland, told me that Medtronic “is a great company”.  Medtronic has an office in Galway. 

We ran this at night, at 11:44 p.m.,  and it was warm and a bit muggy.  It looked like it had recently rained so the path we were running on was a tad slippery.  This path is soft and cushiony and I thought it felt good on the knees and feet, however the faster runners felt it was harder on the legs.  They decided to run on the cement strip that lines the path.  I have no idea how they kept their balance running on that!  I was able to complete this race in 4:36:35. 

Got to the airport and we are all starving as there was no food after the race.  I went to McDonalds and got some food for me and Beck.  We are headed to Madrid.  Rumor is we will be running Madrid 13 hours after finishing Dubai. 

My blood sugar (BG) at the start of this race was high and I believe I over corrected when my sugars dropped earlier.  I didn’t use my standard fix, which is drinking a little Gatorade, for when my BG drops when I am at home, which is why it was high.  I started the race with my BG around 350 and ended the race around BG 90. 

Short video of race:

February 11, 2020 – Madrid

We are way behind on our schedule hence the reason why we are running 2 marathons; Dubai and Madrid within 24 hours.  We have approximately 40 hours to fly to Fortaleza Brazil and Miami and run two marathons. 

I love this marathon.  Knowing that we were going to run the Circuito del Jarama Formula One track again this year was the highlight of the trip.  We had to run 11 laps to make up the 26.2 miles, which was awesome.  The pit road was where we kept our water, food and anything you might want/need after the race.  The weather was perfect for me as I prefer colder and wetter weather.  The terrain with the views and hills was also something I prefer.  The combination of this with running on a Formula One track makes this one of my favorite spots in the World Marathon Challenge.

  

We began the race at 7:08 p.m. and my  BG was around 200 and I finished with it around 80.  Since we did 11 laps, I have many opportunities to drink from my water bottle filled with my Infinit mix.  I finished this race in 4:12:30.  My fastest race yet! 

Short Video:

February 12, 2020 – Fortaleza Brazil

We started the race at 9:15 a.m. around the hottest time of the day in the summer.  It was easily high 80’s and humidity had to be around 100%.  The doctor kept telling us to drink and take salt tablets. 

There were two areas on the course where they handed out wet sponges with ice!  There were 3 water stops including our tent that housed our personal water/food/gels.  It was seriously hot and brutal.  

Since it was so hot and humid, everything was swelling on people; hands, feet, ankles etc. and so many had issues getting through the race.  This race was tough and I found myself drinking more of my water bottle than I usually did.  I normally take an ounce or two every couple of miles.  Even with that, my BG at the start of the race was around 120 and at the end it was around 100.  I finished this race in 5:19:29. 

Short Video:

February 13, 2020 – Miami Florida

We are landing in Miami! 

We got off the bus to a lot of people cheering us; family and friends! 

We needed to start soon as we all have to finish by 12:12 p.m. to make the 168 hours.  The gun goes off and we start the race at 5:18 a.m.

 We have 5 loops on this course and around a bend, I heard “Go Linda.  Nice way to represent the pump” and I looked back at who said that.  On my next lap, I saw this gentleman again, named Matt Mimicucci who is the Medtronic District Manager for Florida, and I stopped and said “Let’s see what this pump says my BG is” and it read 84!  His response was “unbelievable”. 

I finished this race in 4:50:19.  So much fun!  Took pictures after I finished with 5 local Miami Medtronic representatives of which two had the same MiniMed 670G pump.  Great support from Medtronic and from my family and friends!   I had just run two marathons within about 14 hours!!

I wasn’t having any issues with the blood sugars over the last few days.  I felt I was better at guessing what the carbohydrates were on some of the different foods that we were being served.  I started this race with my BG at 130 and ended it with it around 95. 

We decided to grab something to eat at the hotel.   I soon realized that I needed to take a nap.  I was really tired.  I laid down and slept until about 6:00 p.m.   Afterwards,  I took a shower and found a great place to grab a juicy hamburger called Cheeseburger Baby.  Belly full, heart full, time for bed….again! 

Short Video:

Summary:

Another fantastic race with competitive, awesome, supportive, funny and emotional group of runners! 

For those who love statistics, here are a few:

• 11 flights, including 4 fuel stops
• 69:25 hours in flight time
• 29,368.72 flight miles
• I ran 183.4 miles within the 168-hour time limit
• Completed the 7 marathons in 35:59:28 (45:58 faster than 2019)
• Average marathon time was 5:08:28 (6:36 faster than 2019)
• 2nd fastest American woman
• I finished 5th of 10 Women to complete all 7 marathons
• 3rd woman to complete the WMC twice
• I am the only female T1D to complete the WMC not once but twice
• Second woman to finish the WMC in back to back years
• The 2nd woman of 7 to complete both the World Marathon Challenge and the World Marathon Majors
• Once again………ZERO blisters!
• Upon completion of the 2020 World Marathon Challenge, only 49 women have successfully completed

As will often happen, local newspapers hear about what all of these athletes have done and will do a news story.  Below are links to the articles that were written by our local newspaper; The Pilot:

First Pilot article from Jan 27, 2020

https://www.thepilot.com/news/seven-days-seven-marathons-pinehurst-woman-ready-for-global-challenge/article_9f5f5b22-4133-11ea-a642-e37eba53c03b.html

Second Pilot article from February 28, 2020

https://www.thepilot.com/news/seven-marathons-round-the-world-pinehurst-runner-embraces-challenge/article_848ea3fe-5a6d-11ea-9b5a-3f9ff8f9d185.html

Would I do this again……YES, PLEASE!